Overton County News

Posted December 21, 2011 at 9:09 pm

An Overton County man accused of killing his mother and brother and shooting at officers in 2009 was found guilty in court Saturday, December 10.

Kevin Clark, 43, was charged with two counts of first degree murder after authorities said he shot and killed his mother, Vida Clark, 60, and his brother, Roy Clark, 38, at a residence on Hassler Road near the Hanging Limb Community on Wednesday, May 13, 2009. Authorities alleged he set the residence on fire and fired a weapon at officers responding to the scene.

According to District Attorney General Randy York, Clark was convicted on two counts of first degree murder, one count of aggravated arson, aggravated assault of two Overton County Sheriff’s Department deputies, reckless endangerment on another OCDS deputy, and abuse of a corpse. In total, the DA’s office said Clark faces a “minimum of 51 calendar years for first degree murder.” A sentencing hearing has reportedly been set for Friday, March 2, 2012.

York said, “Special thanks and recognition should go to the agencies and individuals that investigated and prosecuted this homicide.”

Reports at the time of the incident said the conflict originated when Roy Clark allegedly erected a gate that blocked access to an area of a driveway that ran in front of Vida Clark’s home next door. Kevin Clark reportedly disputed the placement of that gate.

Authorities said one of the 911 calls that came in at the time was from Vida Clark, who told them Roy Clark had been killed and she had been shot. When officers arrived on the scene, they allegedly found Vida Clark’s body in front of the porch on the sidewalk and had to drag her away from the burning house. They then found Roy Clark’s body inside the burning house.

As officers tried to approach the house, Kevin Clark allegedly opened fire on them with a long gun of some sort. One round struck Deputy Derek Ledbetter in the shoulder, though his injuries were not life-threatening because the ballistic vest he was wearing reportedly absorbed most of the impact. Upon further investigation of the home, officers said they found a shotgun and a .22 caliber rifle along with ammunition located on a table inside.

************************

Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 reported Monday, December 12 the suspension of an Allons Elementary teacher for a “stupid” incident.

Overton County Director of Schools Matt Eldridge confirmed to NewsChannel 5 that the first-year math teacher had been placed on indefinite administrative leave after he allegedly wrote the word “stupid” on a student’s forehead with a permanent marker.

Director Eldridge told the reporter that the teacher was apparently trying to play a joke on the student. Eldridge said he told the teacher that was no way to communicate anything to a student.

Eldridge indicated that dismissal of the teacher is likely if the allegations are founded, but the teacher will have the right to due process and can appeal any decision in the matter.

Though Eldridge would not provide the name of the teacher suspended without pay, NewsChannel 5 identified the teacher as Alex Boles.